Changes

Zhang Fengge could not help but stare at the girl walking in front of him. She was a beauty that attracted everyone– boys and girls alike. Even Zhang Fengge, as unaffected by women as he usually was (disregarding a certain purple eyed girl), was entranced. Her deep, dark eyes seemed to hold him in a tight squeeze.

When she smiled at him, he felt as if he could fly. His mind became muddled as she began to walk towards him.

He did not see his bracelet light up a distinct purple color.

***

Lei Nuwa felt nervous. She had, throughout the summer, worn long sleeves in order to conceal the violent scars on her wrist. The heat was unbearable with long sleeves; so unless she wanted to melt, she had to wear short sleeves until fall. She did not have makeup to cover them, so she instead wore bangles that would slightly cover her wrist. Still, her scars stood out, so she was careful to keep the insides of her wrists faced towards her rather than outwards.

Currently, she was reading her textbook underneath a large tree in one of the main quads. Despite the shade, she could still feel herself sweating and tiring out. As she continued reading, a figure stood above her. As she looked up, she felt her heart drop.

Liu Yichen stood in front of Lei Nuwa, anger in his eyes. Lei Nuwa looked for Shi Qian's figure, but she was nowhere to be found. Her heart unwillingly began to beat faster as her breathing became quicker and her head began to feel lighter.

Being alone with Liu Yichen was more terrifying to Lei Nuwa than when he was with Shi Qian– despite her cruelness, Liu Yichen refused to show Shi Qian the darkest, most violent side of him. In her first life, he did not begin to truly hurt her until Shi Qian left.

As he reached for her, she backed away as if she was burned.

"Liu Yichen, stay away. I'm warning you, stay away from me. Please." She did not want to beg him, but Lei Nuwa felt as if she was the same girl in her first life once again: terrified, weak, and at the mercy of a man with no way out. Her voice became thick with emotion, as tears welled in her eyes. Before, Zhang Fengge had been with her, and she wholeheartedly believed that he would be able to protect her.

Here, she had no one to save her.

Liu Yichen felt disturbed. Before, he had planned to get revenge for the time in the cafe. Now, he did not know how to move. Seeing Lei Nuwa's reaction made him angry– she acted as if he hurt her horribly, as if he was a disgusting villain. He had always known Lei Nuwa was a fearful and submissive girl, but the look on her face now was more than that. It held the panic of a cornered feral animal.

The feelings inside of him were unrecognizable. He did not know what the strange sensation in his chest was, and his mind became blurry as his confusion took over.

"Lei Nuwa, you act as if I am the devil. Who gave you the right?!" Without realizing, he had already struck her with the back of his hand. She did not yell or scream. She did not make any noise at all.

"If you are done, Liu Yichen, then go away. Or do you wish to strike me again? Would you have me offer you my other cheek? My neck for you to choke? My ribs for you to kick? Tell me, Liu Yichen, do you wish to see me bleed as well?" Lei Nuwa whispered harshly. Silent tears fell down her face, but she refused to audibly cry. Her purple eyes– her words– carved into him like a dagger. He did not know what to do– he felt as if he was not even in control of his body.

Why did he react to Lei Nuwa so? It seemed no matter what he thought or felt, his hands moved of their own accord. He wanted to hold her, to choke her, to kiss her, to hit her. The conflict inside of him was growing destructively until he heard a voice behind him.

"Brother Yichen! Are you okay?" Shi Qian ran up to him. She had felt jealousy tug at her heart upon seeing the two alone, but after seeing him hit Lei Nuwa, she felt elated.

"Lei Nuwa, you are truly shameless. How could you hurt Brother Yichen like this?" She held onto his torso, touching his face in an effort to flaunt her status with Yichen. When she looked at Lei Nuwa, she felt as if she had been drenched with cold water.

Her eye was swollen and bruised from where Liu Yichen hit her. Her eyes, her terrifying purple eyes, were glazed over. Lei Nuwa did not fight or speak. She looked as if she was dead.

After seeing Shi Qian, Liu Yichen's mind cleared up considerably and he was able to breathe again. He felt as if she were an anchor preventing him from coasting away, so he embraced her and breathed in her scent. Shi Qian was surprised, but pleased.

"Let's go, Qian Qian. There's nothing here."

And indeed, Lei Nuwa felt as if she were nothing. The blow to her head made her world hazy, and she felt as if she had used all of her energy to whisper at Liu Yichen. Her body was floating– she wondered if she was dead already. Dead. Dead.

Lei Nuwa did not know the meaning of death, only pain.

She did not know how much time had passed before she was able to stand up and re-orient herself. She reached up to touch her injury, and thankfully there was no blood. She began the long walk back to her dorm, her feet dragging underneath the moonlight. Her tears had long since dried, her fear had long since subsided. The only thing left was the familiar feeling of emptiness.

In her first life, after the worst of the beatings, she could not get herself to cry or yell or fight back. She could only empty out her soul and body in the hopes that the pain went along with it. She breathed deeply– the summer air surrounded her like a sticky blanket, but she felt as if she had forgotten any other feeling.

***

Zhou Lan had been worried about Lei Nuwa. She hadn't returned by curfew, when she was usually the first to be asleep in her room. As she saw Nuwa's shadowy figure walk up to the dormitories, she ran out to help greet her.

"Lei Nuwa, I didn't know you were such a troublemaker. Wasn't it just yesterday when you chided me for–" Her words caught in her throat as she gasped at the sight of Lei Nuwa. The blow on her head had grown considerably uglier, unbeknownst to Lei Nuwa. Zhou Lan screeched as she ran to help her into the building.

Lei Nuwa was grateful that Zhou Lan did not bombard her with questions. She felt as if her head might explode at any minute, but she found it was easier to walk with Lan helping her. Another feeling of gratitude filled Lei Nuwa.

"Zhou Lan, you are a beam of light. Are you an angel?" Nuwa breathed out, her words slurring as she grew more tired and less conscious. Zhou Lan looked frightened at the question, concern lacing her face.

Lei Nuwa said one last thing to Zhou Lan before passing out.

"Thank you." As Lei Nuwa slumped against Zhou Lan, she could not help but panic.

'What has she gotten herself into?' She thought, as well as 'Wow, she's really light. Does she not eat?' and also 'Is she a gang member?' While Zhou Lan wracked her mind for both questions and answers, she had already arrived at Lei Nuwa's room. She laid Nuwa down and turned on the fan she had given her. She wet a hand towel with cold water and lightly pressed it to the swollen injury on Lei Nuwa's face. At the pressure and pain, Lei Nuwa woke up suddenly, her hands swinging.

If Zhou Lan had not moved at the last second, Lei Nuwa would have given her a matching bruise.